Shaping the Business Model of ArcWorks
Mike Catalano has been the Vice President of Business Operations at ArcWorks for the past two years, but he’s been in the business of doing business far longer than that. Mike was an entrepreneur, owning restaurants and tanning salons, as well as working in insurance before he shifted into the healthcare field. He’s been with The Arc of Monroe for 10 years now, previously working as Vice President of Programs and Services – overseeing residential, day programs, nursing, and behavior teams, before taking the lead of ArcWorks two years ago. For Mike, the business part of ArcWorks really intrigued him – but it was the time he was able to spend with the people working there that filled his cup.
“If you go back, when I was in the other VP role, I was in back-to-back meetings all day long. I never got the opportunity to be as involved with the people supported,” said Mike. “But here, I get to do it every day. In between meetings, I’m walking the floors, fist bumping and saying hi, catching up with people and what they did over the weekend.”
The Future is Bright
He’s really proud of how well his team works together. Mike says between Rob, the Director of Operations and the two sales guys they hired, Tony and Jason, he feels he’s built a strong team that has contributed to the success they’ve had.
“We’ve revitalized the cosmetics of the building, walking in, modernized it similar to our corporate office,” says Mike. “We’re bringing in new customers. That’s probably one of the biggest things because as an agency, we’ve been trying to do that for so long. Now, we’re really kind of making it happen.”
But Mike says it’s only the beginning of great things for ArcWorks. They have future plans for both the business and the people supported involved.
“We do have some other areas we want to look at, even the potential of acquiring some smaller businesses. The opportunities are endless. And the people that we support here make the job fun and we want to make sure we keep them busy and build new skills so they can ultimately work out in the community as well.”
He says that’s important for the mission of both ArcWorks and The Arc of Monroe – providing meaningful opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in employment. He says there’s a stigma around people with disabilities and their ability to work, so often their facility is seen as a program when it’s not. His goal for the future is for people with disabilities to be seen as just another employee and ArcWorks as any other manufacturing facility when people come to tour.
To connect with Mike Catalano, Vice President of Business Operations at ArcWorks, email mcatalano@arcmonroe.org or call (585) 698-1334